ON HOCKEY

ON HOCKEY; Blue Jackets Offer a History Lesson

By Joe Lapointe

Published: December 30, 2000

When Columbus entered the National Hockey League as an expansion franchise this season, the team took the name Blue Jackets to evoke the American Civil War. Many uniforms for the Union Army were manufactured in that Ohio capital. The city and the Buckeye State sent a lot of soldiers to the victorious Union Army. So the team mascot, named Stinger, wears a blue army cap from that era.

''We all got a history lesson,'' said goalie Ron Tugnutt, a native of Scarborough, Ontario.

While all this may stir patriotism in some places, the effect could be different for games in some Southern cities. As the N.H.L. pushes into the Sun Belt, it has enough teams to form a Confederate Division as a counterpoint to the group from Canada.

Referring to the War Between the States theme, the Blue Jackets' communications director, Todd Sharrock, said, ''I'm not sure how that will play in Atlanta.''

Not that this matters much to the Blue Jackets players. Most come from Europe or from Canada. Better to ask them about hockey, which they play respectably well, all things considered.

After tying the Devils, 2-2, in the Meadowlands on Wednesday night, and beating the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-1, at home last night, the Jackets improved their recent record to 3-1-2, their second-best stretch of the season. Columbus, at 12-21-4-2, is near the bottom of the league, but the Jackets do have a better record than the Montreal Canadiens.

When the Jackets play the Devils again tomorrow night, they expect a capacity crowd of 18,136 at the Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus. Viewers watching on television should see and hear some enthusiasm. As is often the case with an expansion team, especially when it is the first big-league franchise in a growing city, the fans and the players are enjoying a case of puppy love.

''First time I've seen a team get a standing ovation after a 7-1 loss,'' said Marc Denis, the team's other goalie, who countered the Devils on Wednesday with occasional brilliance, much tenacity and some luck when pucks hit his goal posts. ''We get 18,000 fans on their feet just appreciating the effort.''

The team was assembled by General Manager Doug MacLean, who coached a dull, but successful, expansion team in Florida that reached the Stanley Cup finals in 1996. The Jackets are coached by Dave King, a savvy tactician who coached Calgary for three seasons in the 1990's and has vast experience at all levels. Yes, they play the neutral-zone trap.

''This is a gritty group of guys,'' King said of his players. ''We get second-effort plays, blocked shots, plays that allow us to compete with good teams.'' Against the Devils, the Jackets gave up the first 17 shots but stayed steady and patient. ''Probably too much respect,'' King said. ''We stood and watched them.''

The franchise is ideally suited to be an expansion success story. The town is within driving distance of both Detroit and Pittsburgh. In the 1970's, the league had a franchise in the state, the Cleveland Barons, but it abandoned the market too quickly. The Ohio State Buckeyes, better known for college teams in football and basketball, have a long hockey tradition. And Columbus has become a strong outpost for American soccer, with a healthy Major League Soccer franchise, the Crew, and a 22,000-seat, soccer-specific stadium, which the United States soccer team has chosen for its World Cup qualifying match against Mexico in February.

Defenseman Lyle Odelein, a former Devil who serves as captain, said hockey has raised the city's professional sports profile. Until now, the best-known pro team was the Class AAA farm club of the baseball Yankees.

''They were obviously striving for any kind of major league team,'' Odelein said. ''It's been great.''

Not everything has been cheery for Odelein or the team. The Jackets made news this month when Odelein fought his teammate Krzysztof Oliwa, another former Devil, both in the dressing room and in the parking lot. Security guards broke up the fights.

Earlier, forward Steve Heinze, who wears No. 57 to suggest a tomato product (seriously), took a stick in the face from Brad May of Phoenix. It opened a cut that oozed something that looked like ketchup. May got suspended. Heinze got nine stitches.

On a lighter topic, a Columbus television station ran a clever series of commercials about the team, one of them before last month's election that suggested ''Tugnutt for President.'' The spot was shot with excellent production quality, including all the inspirational music and visual cliches that showed the candidate with senior citizens, children and farmers.

Kevin Dineen, the veteran forward, holds dual citizenship, Canadian and American. He said the only time the team has been booed for political reasons was in Vancouver, where the singer's microphone broke and the only recording of a national anthem that got played was ''The Star-Spangled Banner.''

Dineen also likes the team's color scheme of red, white and blue, the traditional and primary colors seen on established teams like the Rangers and the Canadiens. ''Our jerseys are sharp,'' Dineen said. ''They wear well. They're not teal or a far-out color.''

Having attended school in the United States, Dineen is aware of Civil War history and the team's link to it. But he is unconcerned about Southern campaigns. ''Everyone in Florida is from New York or Michigan anyway,'' he said.